The Walking Dead Renewed For Season 9 With a New Showrunner

The Walking Dead has been renewed for a ninth season by AMC, the network announced on Saturday. But that wasn’t the only big news: Angela Kang, who has been a writer on the show since 2011 and a co-executive producer since 2013, has been named the new showrunner by Scott Gimple.

Gimple, the current showrunner, will now oversee the entire Dead universe, which the network is hoping to expand, in his new position as the Chief Content Officer.

“I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with The Walking Dead,” Kang said in statement. “Working on this series and having the opportunity to adapt Robert Kirkman’s amazing comic has been a fangirl dream come true for me.I’m excited to continue working with Scott and the wonderfully supportive folks at AMC, and can’t wait to share the next chapter of the story with our fans next fall.”

“This is an enormously important day for the entire The Walking Dead television universe. We are proud to acknowledge Angela’s significant contribution to the series and to set a clear path forward for a ninth season under her direction. Further, with gratitude and admiration, we also recognize Scott’s broad impact on, and leadership of, the content that fuels our TWD universe. Together, we will dream bigger and more broadly than ever before,” Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios, said in a statement. “I know I speak for Angela, Scott and everyone at AMC when I say thanks most of all to the fans and the many talented people who have helped AMC play Dead.”

“The Walking Dead is a special show which started in an entirely different era of TV, and continues, in this new era, to confidently take chances to tell compelling stories that excite audiences and make them deeply connect with its characters, adapting Robert Kirkman’s brilliant comic book,” Gimple said. “As the show closes in on its tenth year, I’m honored to keep working with the talented, dedicated people behind and in front of the camera to make it all it can be, while expanding the world of The Walking Dead with new narratives like Fear the Walking Dead and a whole host of truly cool stories ahead. Angela is a big part of the heart and soul ofThe Walking Dead, and I’m thrilled to help facilitate her vision of the show’s next era.”